Community message
- Published
- Community Message
HOLDING MEMORY THROUGH PESACH
Reflecting on freedom, remembrance and our shared responsibility.
Dear friends,
ANCIENT LIBERATION, MODERN TRAGEDY
We write to you in the midst of Pesach, a time when we pause to remember a journey from narrowness to freedom and to reflect on what that story asks of us today. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks taught that “to remember is to give the past a future,” a reminder that memory is not passive but a sacred responsibility carried forward through our actions and our stories.
This message feels especially resonant as our community prepares for the Victorian Yom Hashoah Commemoration 2026. Taking place on Monday 13 April, the commemoration will gather us under the theme From the Depths, honouring the six million who were murdered and the extraordinary resilience of those who resisted, survived and rebuilt.
As we sit with the themes of Pesach during these intermediate days, we invite you to hold both stories together. One speaks of ancient liberation, the other of modern tragedy. Both teach the importance of safeguarding memory and ensuring that the experiences of our people continue to guide us.
ROYAL COMMISSION UPDATES
This period may also prompt reflection on our own experiences today. As we gather around our Pesach tables, we hold in our hearts the 13 families who face an empty seat this year because of the horrific Hanukkah attack in Bondi.
We cannot fill those seats, but we can honour their pain by ensuring the voices of our community are heard.
If you have experienced antisemitism, the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is seeking to understand the lived experience of Jewish Australians. No story is too small or too big.
ShareYourStory, a support initiative for those engaging with the Royal Commission, has created a Pesach Conversation Guide to help families and individuals consider whether they are ready to make a submission.
Additional support and information are available on the ShareYourStory website.
If you would like guidance or simply someone to speak with, please feel welcome to contact us.
Wishing you strength, peace and continued meaning as Pesach unfolds.
